County health experts concerned about COVID spread

by Travis Fischer

Cerro Gordo health experts pleaded with the public to be conscientious about the spread of COVID-19 at a joint press conference between MercyOne and Cerro Gordo Public Health on Monday, Nov. 9.

Dr. Paul Manternach, Chief Medical Officer at MercyOne, and Brian Hanft, the county’s Director of Public Health, spoke on Monday about the rapid spread of the disease and the impact it is having on the area’s healthcare system.

“In the past week, MercyOne has had the highest number of COVID-19 confirmations our hospital has had since the beginning of the pandemic,” said Manternach, who noted that one-third of Mercy’s hospital beds are currently occupied by COVID-19 patients and that they’ve seen a sharp increase in patients needing out-patient care.

As a result of the spike in COVID-19 cases, MercyOne is adjusting how urgent care patients will be seen.

Starting Tuesday, MercyOne’s Urgent Care is limited to patients suffering from possible COVID-19 symptoms; such as fever, respiratory illness symptoms, or gastro intentional issues, during the week. People that need urgent

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care for issues that aren’t likely COVID-19 related, such as earaches or minor injuries, should contact their primary care provider or walk into MercyOne Regency Family Medicine on the east side of Mason City from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Urgent Care will accommodate all patients on Saturday and Sunday.

Patients with symptoms that need medical attention are urged to call or use the online scheduling tool to set an appointment.

“By scheduling ahead, we hope to decrease time you must wait to be seen,” said Manternach.

In addition, elective surgeries that require an overnight stay may be rescheduled for a later date. People with surgeries scheduled will be personally informed if their surgery date has been moved.

“Anticipate that your surgery is going to occur unless somebody gets ahold of you,” said Manternach.

COVID related hospitalizations have been spiking across the state over the last month, putting an increasing strain on healthcare resources and personnel.

“I think we’re situated well, but if we continue with this trend it will become much more difficult,” said Manternach.

Relieving the strain on the health care system begins with individuals taking measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the community. Manternach and Hanft strongly encourage people to abide by the health and safety measures that have been repeated throughout the pandemic.

“I’m asking you, as a doctor, a husband, and a father, to wear a mask when in public, refrain from large gatherings, wash your hands frequently, and get a flu shot if you are able,” said Manternach.

The public health experts are also advising businesses to encourage both employees and customers to wear face coverings whenever possible and provide opportunities for people to social distance. Meanwhile, individual communities members are advised to stay home as much as possible, avoiding gatherings outside of immediate family.

“We are all very impatient for life to return to normal. Please hear me when I say now is not the time to relax safety measures,” said Manternach. “It is time for each of us as community members to step up. Every one of us needs to take these safety measures seriously.”

“The virus is now on our doorstep and it’s knocking loudly,” said Hanft. “It is critical that we do everything we can, right now, to protect your family and co-workers.”

Hanft also discussed his desire for a state-wide mask mandate, which he feels would be a more effective mitigation measure than relying on local municipal mandates.

“What it does is it sends a stronger message statewide,” said Hanft.

Even with recent news of an impending vaccine, it was stressed that mass distribution and inoculation will take several months on the most optimistic timeline and that people cannot let their guard down in the meantime. The vaccine will not be available during this year’s winter months and people must act appropriately.

“Every single person matters right now. We need everybody wearing a mask,” said Hanft. “We need people staying apart. Stay with your immediate family, but otherwise don’t socialize. And that’s going to become increasingly more difficult as the holidays come in. We get that. It’s not going to be easy.”

The sharp acceleration of COVID-19 cannot be attributed to a single cause, but it is believed that asymptomatic carriers are a significant contributing factor to the ever growing spread.

“Asymptomatic people that are ill don’t know they’re ill, so they’re going about their daily business,” said Hanft, who also noted that even those who do show symptoms are at their most contagious in the 48 hours before symptoms manifest.

For those that have been exposed to COVID-19, particularly those that have spent at least 15 minutes, unmasked, around somebody that has tested positive, it is recommended to get tested between 48 to 96 hours after exposure. Testing right away may not be effective, as it takes time for the viral load to build in the system.

Symptoms start to develop four days after exposure to COVID-19 and peak at around 11 days.

The increasing number of people that have contracted COVID-19 and since recovered are encouraged to contact LifeServe Blood Center in Mason City to arrange a donation of plasma

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